The Stage of the Apocalypse
by AtrumUnas
Summary: I decided to do an alternate of Mission 12; Stage of the Apocalypse based on what I wish was part of the mission. AU but still fits in with the storyline. Shows a Pixy closer to Cipher’s level of skill.


Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Combat Zero.

Summary: I decided to do an alternate of Mission 12; Stage of the Apocalypse based on what I wish was part of the mission. AU but still fits in with the storyline. Shows a Pixy closer to Cipher's level of skill.

**Waldreich Mountains, Southern Belka, 1995**

Two flights from the Ustio Air Force drifted through the sky towards their mission point. Three F-16s from the Crow Team and two F-15s from the Galm Team glided along next to each other. The two elder pilots of Crow Team teased their younger number three about his relationship with a young girl from Ustio. Though none of them changed speed, the red winged F-15 of Solo Wing Pixy drifted back, not staying with the group.

"Galm Two, you've fallen behind. Is something wrong?" AWACS asked.

"Don't worry, I'll catch up," Pixy responded half-heartedly.

"Crow Three to Galm Two, Pixy; is something wrong with your craft?"

"Nah, I am just sad."

A warning drifted across everyone's Heads-Up-Display as no less than twenty targets appeared on radar. "Warning, a Belkan Bomber Formation believed to be carrying Nuclear Weapons is headed towards the Allied Front Lines. Shoot them down immediately." Astonished cries of terror drifted across the radio as the thought of nuclear weapons being used permeated everyone's thoughts.

Cipher, the newly dubbed Demon Lord, didn't waste even a fraction of a second and immediately went into afterburners, headed for the enemy formation. His Blue Winged F-15 shot past the Crow Team as they struggled the increase their speed. Pixy, now far behind the rest of the group, mimicked Cipher's actions and followed the Demon Lord.

The Mercenaries closed in on the Nuclear Bombers. Cipher, the first to reach the area, popped out his airbrake, cut the throttle and pulled up into the formation, reversing direction and coming back down behind the lead bomber. The TU-95 Bear fell into Cipher's pipper just as he released a stream of bullets into the Bomber's right wing. The incendiary rounds ignited the fuel and sent the monstrosity to hell. A missile warning forced the Demon Lord to pull away.

"Crow Team, you three go after the Bombers," Cipher, as wing commander, ordered. "Pixy and I can take out the escort fighters." He rolled in behind a Belkan Escort and dispatched him with guns before addressing his wingman. "Pixy, there aren't that many escorts this time and I can't be certain that there aren't other enemies in the area. Save your missiles and use only your guns. That's a direct order."

"Roger that," Pixy affirmed as he joined the rest of the group. Solo Wing followed his orders despite his bothering and set out to slaughter the heartless Belkans.

Pixy fell onto the tail of a pesky escort that was going after one of the Crow Team. Without Pixy's missile sending a radar threat, the Belkan never saw him coming as he fired a stream of bullets into the pilot's cockpit. He jinked up suddenly to avoid the explosion and banked off to find a new target.

Cipher, already on his third kill, fell in behind a bomber to get an escorts attention. He fired a stream of tracers, downing the bomber just as a Sukhoi fighter appeared on his six. Eyes narrowing, Cipher pulled up, letting the enemy's Adder Missile shoot past and forcing the Belkan to follow. The Demon Lord popped out his airbrake and stalled ever so slightly, forcing the Belkan to overshoot. Increasing speed slightly, Cipher lined him up and shot him down. Stalling again, the F-15 flipped nose to tail and fell towards the remaining bombers and escorts.

As soon as Galm One rejoined the formation two Su-37s latched onto his tail. Cipher reversed back and forth in a half-hearted attempt to throw them off. The two fighters matched him move for move, sending ordinance at him wherever possible. Sighing at their recklessness, or bravery he reminded himself, Cipher pulled up and rolled, bleeding off airspeed and falling in behind the two fighters. He lined up the wingman and downed him before the green pilot even realized what had happened. Cipher rolled over the debris and shot through the flight lead's wing from above.

Above him a large burning carcass fell through the sky, pieces of shrapnel barely missing his right wing. Cipher banked to the left to clear the wreckage and climbed back up to the Belkan formation. The battle drifted closer and closer to Stier Castle as it drew out. So far the Mercenaries hadn't suffered any casualties while the green Belkan pilots died by the ones, twos and fours. Only a few bombers remained when…

A massive stream of light covered the horizon to the east as an unholy mysticism descended upon the multinational pilots. Time slowed, all noise drowned out as everyone tried to determine just what had happened. Time restarted with a mass of warning alarms going off inside Cipher's cockpit. The Demon Lord climbed high into the clouds trying to figure out what was going on.

Distorted voices carried over his radio. "Your fairy god mother…" static "… Cinderella."

"…suppose you're… cal carriage… hell I suppose."

Massive static… "…birthday." There was nothing for a short while, then…

"Buddy, I've found a reason to fight." Cipher glanced over at his wingman and saw him drop back from sight. His warning alarm came on without warning. Acting on instinct, Cipher rolled over and dived, the light tracker in the missile unable to follow the steep dive. AWACS cried something to Pixy that Cipher couldn't comprehend. Four more targets appeared on his radar, each targeting him with something.

Going for the clear threat, Cipher dashed forward and fired a missile at one of the fighters, easily scoring a kill. He lined up another in the pass and slaughtered that one as well. Reversing slightly, Cipher let loose another missile, ignoring the target and falling onto the remaining fighter's six. Idly he noted the enemy's destruction as he pulled his trigger.

"All fighters shot down. Everyone return to base. They've all gone insane." AWACS surprised voice drifted into his ear. Cipher climbed to meet with the other Mercenaries.

"This is where we go our separate ways," Pixy said despite the static. Cipher glanced at his radar but only saw a blip disappear into jamming a few miles behind him. His eyes drifted to his fuel gauge, which read a little over 65 percent fuel capacity.

"Negative," Cipher responded. "I'm issuing field commander authority and pursing the retreating enemy forces." His Eagle banked around and shot off in the direction of Pixy's radar blip.

"Galm One, what are you doing?" Eagle Eye asked confused.

"Send a tanker towards B7R," Cipher ordered. "Tell them the Demon Lord ordered it." Then his Eagle disappeared into the jamming from the nuclear explosions and left Ustio far behind.

**Waldreich Mountains, Southern Belka, 1995**

Two F-15s descended into the thick mountain range that crossed the border between Ustio and Belka. The Red Winged plane flew almost casually through the area while the Blue Winged Demon Lord struggled to keep up with his wingman, being about one mile behind but closing the distance.

"Pixy, what the hell are you doing out here?" Cipher asked desperately as he avoided the rocks around his plane while moving at high speed through the valley. Pixy flew lazily through the mountains as though the intense flying was nothing to him. In all likelihood that was how he felt; he wasn't pursuing anyone, but rather taking a roundabout route to avoid Cipher.

"I don't need to explain myself to you, buddy," Pixy said coldly as he dodged by a mountain. "Oh, it looks like you have a couple of friends to play with. So long buddy." Two radar blips appeared on the small green screen in Cipher's cockpit. The Demon Lord stared forward in the valley and distinctly saw two black dots come past Pixy and head straight for him. They were Su-37 Terminators and by the skill with which they flew, Cipher would be willing to bet that they were aces.

The two forces merged. Cipher quarter-rolled and shot past the enemies before banking to face them, knowing that he wouldn't be able to pursue without being chased. The Ace quickly latched onto an enemy's tail as it climbed high into the sky. The Terminator dodged and weaved in an attempt to throw off the supposedly inferior plane to no avail. Cipher followed him move for move before the enemy leveled off and he flew past. Saving himself quickly, Cipher rolled over and fell in behind the unidentified pilot and dispatched him with guns. As the explosion rippled, Cipher climbed into a nearby cloud bank.

The other pilot flew along below the clouds, trying to find the Demon Lord. His wingman had already been killed before he could do anything about. A missile warning blared in his ear as Cipher descended from the cloud bank and launched a Sidewinder up the Terminator's tail pipe. The explosion flowed across the sky as Cipher banked off towards Pixy's heading. Finding the pilot on his radar, Cipher chased after him.

**Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R, AKA the Round Table, Northern Ustio, 1995**

Cipher entered the Round Table warily, knowing that his wingman was here somewhere. He had seen the radar blip enter the area and then seemingly disappear, likely due to jamming. Nevertheless, the Demon Lord had followed Solo Wing Pixy into the most coveted landscape in the world without hesitation.

The loud beep of a missile warning sent Cipher diving for the deck. His Eagle dropped into the magnetic mountains below and weaved in between the rocks in an attempt to throw off the missile. It wasn't the Sidewinders or XMAA missiles that Pixy's plane carried. No, it was a Quick Maneuver Air to Air Missile, able to match almost any maneuver a fighter could.

With this thought in mind, Cipher banked hard around a peak and descended into a barely noticeable culvert before climbing again and letting the missile explode on the rocks. A JAS 39 Gripen flew towards him, unaware that it had been spotted. Cipher targeted the new arrival and fired a Sidewinder towards it, almost reveling in the destruction and death of the pilot and plane.

With new resolve, Cipher found Pixy's plane a few hundred yards ahead of him. Aware of his fuel gauge reading 30 percent capacity, Cipher accelerated towards his former wingman.

Pixy climbed into the sky with the Demon Lord hot on his tail. After a hundred foot climb, he rolled over and dived for the dirt again reversing a few dozen feet above and flying steady. Cipher fired a burst of tracers at him from behind, only to miss as Pixy pitched up, rolled and fell in behind Cipher in a move that the Demon Lord himself had taught him. Cipher cursed and banked up and to the right, craning his neck to see Pixy follow.

Keeping his head on his former wingman as he fired a few bursts of bullets at him, Cipher adjusted his turn back down to the ground of the Round Table. He leveled out and pushed forward the throttle as far as it could go. The afterburners activated in both planes as they climbed back into the sky, turning on each other in a vicious Vertical Rolling Scissors. Seeing no end after two reversals, both pilots simply stayed their course as they broke through a cloud bank.

Pixy turned left and right with a craned neck in an attempt to find his former flight lead. Seven hundred yards away, Cipher climbed towards his Brother In Arms, switching weapons simultaneously. A good tone sounded from the XMAA firing sequence. Releasing a held breath, Cipher pressed the button four times, releasing all of his remaining missiles to shoot towards his old wingman.

Pixy seeing the four streaks coming towards him rolled over and pulled back around in an Immelmann Turn to face the Demon Lord. He switched to special weapons himself and locked the four missiles in his sights. Pixy fired only once and watched as eight missiles impacted each other and exploded valiantly. The two remaining members of Galm Team streaked towards each other, guns blazing. Pixy's twenty millimeter rounds impacted the rear fuselage of Cipher's aircraft, igniting the remaining fuel and sending a blast through the plane. Both passed by each other and Cipher ejected, a sight only ever seen once outside of dreams, and his beloved Eagle exploded.

Even as the Demon Lord of the Round Table glided down into his 'domain', he couldn't help but hear his wingman's words over the radio yet again. "This is where we go our separate ways." Cipher stared at the white trail as Solo Wing Pixy disappeared into the distance.

A few miles away, a tanker aircraft out of Valais Airbase had witnessed the fight and were now directing Search and Rescue craft towards the remains of the battle. When the helicopter landed, they found a sullen and depressed 'Demon' sitting against a rock. Those men were the only ones to ever see it and would never speak of it. Cipher cried at the loss of his only living friend.

**(End)**

That was fun to write. It's the third one shot I've done in the last two days. That's almost funny. Anyway, please review as always.


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